BR 50 - Berlin Research 50

BR50 was launched in spring 2020 and formalized as a registered association in October 2022. The aim is to provide a platform for dialogue that facilitates the coordination between non-university research institutes and serves as a central point of contact for cooperation with Berlin's universities and the Berlin University Alliance (BUA), the association of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. In addition, BR50 acts as a central dialogue partner in exchanges with politics and society. 

The BR50 board consists of five members, each representing a scientific discipline or the administrative management. The current board was elected by the general meeting in December 2025: 

• Prof. Dr. Michael Hintermüller (Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics (WIAS)) is Chairperson of the Board and coordinator of the Unit Technology and Engineering
• Dr. Noa K. Ha (German Center for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM)) is deputy Chairperson of the Board and coordinator of the Unit Social Sciences and Humanities
• Prof. Dr. Volker Haucke (Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP)) is board member and coordinator of the Unit Life Sciences
• Prof. Dr. Bernd Rech (Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin for Materials and Energy (HZB)) is a board member and coordinator of the Unit Natural Sciences
• Uta Bielfeldt (German Rheumatism Research Center Berlin (DRFZ), an institute of the Leibniz Association) is the treasurer and coordinator of administrative management

Since BR50’s founding, it was important to make use of the existing network structures in Berlin-Adlershof and to locate the office at the joint administration of the FVB. From June 2021, Dr. Anja Sommerfeld is the head of the BR50 office. 

www.br50.org/en/br50